Why is life so Painful?

[Honor]

Because without it we would not exist for long: pain is a biological mechanism to prevent us from dying or accidentally killing ourselves. It indicates where wounds are and alerts us that we need to take extra care of them.

Perhaps the world is much the same.

This.

 

[Tyltalis]

Maybe pain really doesn't exist but we just choose to see things as painful? But that just brings up more questions, doesn't it? Like WHY we choose to see things as painful.
Wait...
Are we back where we started?

 

[Ginkgo]

Well, according to Camus, suffering comes from expectations. Don't live on expectations... just try to engage life for what it is. I think that was the overall message.

I agree with Camus about a lot of things, and this is one of them.

 

[1487610420]

Ask google

 

[RaptorWizard]

That's true, but that's a learned response. We know to associate buzzer with food being done because we've observed it many times and there is generally not a significantly deleterious consequence for not responding correctly. On the other hand, if you don't attend to your gashed leg quickly, you will die. It has to be unpleasant because you don't get a second chance.

I guess I just see it as something that evolved to help us survive more than something that was intentionally inflicted upon us, so I don't feel too much despair over it. It sucks but it wasn't something engineered to make my life unbearable.

But this is exactly why pain needs not be implemented; if we didn't have to battle for survival, then all of this junk would be disposed. Instead, pain gives us the glory of prolonged suffering.

 

[skylights]

But this is exactly why pain needs not be implemented; if we didn't have to battle for survival, then all of this junk would be disposed. Instead, pain gives us the glory of prolonged suffering.

If you figure out how to live eternally and without pain, please give me a call!

 

[WhoCares]

God created people to be relational. People chose to go astray and brought sin into the world due to their pride and selfishness. God created something perfect and we went and ruined it.

If God created perfection then why are we selfish and proud? Didn't God create us? Or did he create us to be selfish and proud and therefore what we have now is perfection, so God created suffering in the end anyway. We can't ruin something if we were always meant to be like this, and world was meant to be like this.

Anyway the above is why I don't believe religious nonsense. It's all just crap made up by some dude ages ago for whatever reason. Cant believe anyone still swallows it.

 

[Fluffywolf]

To experience pain is to be alive, there is but one cause that would allow a living creature to mentally suffer from the experience of pain. And that is the belief that there should be none.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all. The opposite of pain is indifference. I stole that from a song, but I think it is true. '

Pain don't hurt.

 

[Abbey]

He created us to have a relationship with him. He gave us a choice.

 

[danseen]

Anything goes in the human condition.

 

[Cellmold]

Anything goes in the human condition.

Usually humanity is the first to go.

 

[danseen]

Usually humanity is the first to go.

Why is this a problem?

 

[Cellmold]

Why is this a problem?

Did I say it was a problem?

Although it could be if we are talking of humanity as a concept of empathy in human beings, (which i'm sure could be argued doesn't really exist), rather than as the human race.

 

[The Iron Giant]

To the first part, there isn't a god. To the second, [MENTION=10496]skylights[/MENTION] nailed it. It's simple biology. Pain is an evolved warning signal that our well-being is being compromised. Life is survival for its own sake. Eating, drinking, growing, healing, fucking and reproducing, it's all about continuation. Life is painful because life continues by design. If it did not hurt, we wouldn't exist at all, because we wouldn't bother avoiding those things that hurt us, and we'd have all died off long before we even became human, instead of just those who couldn't figure out how to stay away from the things that hurt.

Asking why we don't just not exist to avoid pain is problematic. None of us were given a choice whether to come into being. We were shat out, against our will, by our mothers years ago. Those who think that's too much of an indignity give up and die, and those who like the good parts fight on to continue to enjoy those good parts and dance around the bad. Obviously, life is really fucking hard at times, but it's pretty great to be alive.

 

[iNtrovert]

Somewhere out there in the world, there's always problems causing much suffering and affliction. But many religious fools say that simply by our world being here, that it's because of God's good grace. My question is, why in hell, if this is supposed to be God's so-called "Grand Design" would he allow for so much evil to exist in our world? Heck, seeing how bad things can get, a better question might be, what kind of monster would create something like this? I think that this is a good case in favor of humility before the "wonders of creation" as foolishness and weakness.

So fellas, I'm wondering, why is life so painful?

Taking the question of a creator’s existence out of the equation I think the condition and the suffering of mankind is largely self-inflicted. The very nature of mankind is the reason for most of the suffering in the world. It's the way people treat each other. The tendency for the suffering of others once out of sight to be out of mind. Self-centeredness and preservation that even the most giving people are guilty of.

In the context of a creator. I am not as familiar with other religions as am with the big 3 as I call them. (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). To my knowledge followers of these faiths seem to believe that their creator has given humans charge over the earth. From that perspective I can respect the exaltation of a deity and looking to it for guidance without blaming it for the current disarray of the world. As their beliefs are that the creator of intelligent beings gave them the world to shape. In addition to that the creator gave them the option to seek the all-knowing for guidance or to go it alone. This is the belief that the creator created the world but also gave us the intelligence and the responsibility to care for it.

For example a car company can give you a new car in perfect condition with free repairs gas and triple A for life. However, if you don’t put gas in it change the oil and preform general maintenance it’s not going to work properly. Furthermore if you don’t take advantage of the services they are willing to provide for you as a safeguard when you fail to maintain it and it breaks down it will never get repaired. It’s illogical for you to then turn to the company and say what kind of car manufacture all you my car is horrible. Just because I don’t follow the manual and carry out the maintenance for it doesn’t mean I deserve an unreliable vehicle. I should be able to do what I want and get my desired results. You are a bad person shame on you.

If you believe that the creator gave us charge over the earth and a manual to do so as well as a safeguard to correct the mistake we make along the way that is how this argument would sounds. Of course I’m simplifying complex belief systems and there are many different aspects to questions of this nature (why is there suffering). I was just pointing out how pointless it is to blame anyone for it other than mankind. I don’t even feel the question of the existence of a deity should be a part of the conversation in these matters. I feel in both instances it comes back to the nature of man and bringing religion into the discussion is counterproductive to solving the problem. It tends to divide and polarize people in a way in which things never get done. When we stop fighting amongst ourselves and start fighting the evils of this world then we have a shot. Until we do that the human condition will always be one of immense suffering.

 

[danseen]

Did I say it was a problem?

Although it could be if we are talking of humanity as a concept of empathy in human beings, (which i'm sure could be argued doesn't really exist), rather than as the human race.

empathy never exists. are you saying you don't get that standard fact?

 

[Cellmold]

empathy never exists. are you saying you don't get that standard fact?

I get that it is a useful construct of human imagination that helps those who understand that same usefulness in not being complete dicks to others, through the ironically selfish notion of "what if it were you?"

It's a practical indoctrination, regardless of it's perceived existence/non-existence.

 

[danseen]

I get that it is a useful construct of human imagination that helps those who understand that same usefulness in not being complete dicks to others, through the ironically selfish notion of "what if it were you?"

It's a practical indoctrination, regardless of it's perceived existence/non-existence.

it doesn't exist, duh.

 

[The Iron Giant]

it doesn't exist, duh.

You can't be serious.